Slashdot Mirror
Online Journals
Foxxz writes "MSNBC has a story on online journals. personally, ive been writing in an online journal for almost a year using a perl script i whipped up. It can be a great outlet for a bitchfest." This is a great example of the whole "peer to peer" journalism that everyone wets their pants over about the Internet. Call it what you will, but the ease of accessibility to the materials is, IMHO, one of the most compelling reasons for web surfing.
I'm using PHPSlash for my Developer's Diaries section of MidnightRyder.Com. Actually, it runs the entire site :-) Anyway - it makes life simple to do something like a quick entry - just type it up in plain text or HTML, and hit submit - and your page is updated. I like it, you might want to check it out.
There are, however, some downsides - requires PHP4 (no big deal) and a MySQL database to power it (which might be a bigger deal for ya, depending on your ISP / Host). And it's probably a little over powered for just running an online-diary. But it sure saves you tons of time on updating pages!
And, of course, there are tons of other alternatives to that - /.'s engine can be used for the same thing (PHPSlash is a somewhat direvitive of the Slashcode - not much anymore, but, still the same idea). Look around a little bit at those two sites, and if they just look like too much effort, search for 'Blog' or 'Online Diary' in google or yahoo, and find all the rest of the cool little scripts for doing this out there!
Davis Ray Sickmon, Jr - looking for something to read? Check out my three free novels at MidnightRyder.org
I'm surprised than no one has mentioned LiveJournal - it's definitely one of the more popular online journals with over 100,000 members and clients for many different OSes.
Contrary to what people seem to think here, I don't think that the majority of online journal keepers do so because they want other people to read them. My motivation for keeping an online journal was because I always wanted to have a journal, but to do so with pen and paper or even at my computer was far too inconvenient. I didn't want a swarm of text files sitting around. This way, all I have to do is fire up a client (which I can do from any computer I'm at), type up an entry, and there it goes to the server. LiveJournal allows me to make entries public or private to my discretion. Personally, I don't have anything to hide, and if someone wants to read about my life, they're more than welcome to. I've met a lot of interesting people on LiveJournal; there's a large sense of community there with discussion groups, etc...
Shameless journal advertisement: My journal can be found at http://vorpal.livejournal.com
The article lists about 9 websites that provide various types of this service. If you just can't read the article, then you might find some listed here or here.
All your event are belong to us.
Of course, for the less mentally stable, a slashdot account would do just as well as a journal...
this is a sig.
I kept one for a couple of years, a few years back... It was an interesting exploration of self in a place that's not-quite-real. You learn to dive deep into your psyche to pull out some new nugget to mull over in a matter of minutes. Contemplating the nature of a word; remembering a day gone by differently...
:-)
Towards the end though, after two years of daily entries, I'd covered pretty much everything of importance in my life up to that point in time. It was time to start living some more life worth writing about.
I'll probably start another in the future, but not just yet...
--The more you know, the less you know.
First, a bit about LiveJournal. We are a site with around 65,000 users, doubling in size every three months. Unlike Blogger, we are a free interactive online community created, designed, and supported by the people who use it.
LiveJournal enables its users to easily create online journals and communities. Updating your journal or community is as simple as typing into a software client or web browser screen and hitting submit... no html is needed, and spell checking, linking, and adding images to your journal is standard for all our major software clients. We have clients for every platform I can think of practically... Linux? PalmOS? BeOS? No problem. Since LiveJournal volunteers design, expand, and constantly improve the site's features, we expect to develop open source community-based applications at an increasing rate.
Why are weblogs important? Well, any new idea has a novelty phase, where people say "Neat, but what can it do?".. there are serious business applications for weblogs. For instance, LiveJournal uses its own communities, such as lj_dev and lj_biz to organize the sites' business and development efforts. I know that these communities are a great alternative to organizing groups with maillists; LiveJournal communities have about 15 times more posts per user per month than comparable maillist communities, according to our statsistics. If you also figure in that you can add other web-based applications as part of your community, such as chat, planning, calendar, and organization-oriented applications, maillists and Usenet-like solutions start looking pretty dated.
If you think about it, all weblogs really are is a modern-day adaptation of Usenet for web browsers. Weblogs can be used for numerous purposes, such as journals, communities, and weblogs... but ultimately, their real value to people is when they are connected together, allowing people to interact.
Our long-term goal is an Internet where websites are much more dynamic than today... where you can essentially add the content and the people that interest you to a friends list. Want to add your favorite musician to your friends list and hear their latest songs over the Internet? How about your favorite underground comic strip? As you can see, there are applications that are far bigger than just reading your friends journal. We have the opportunity to create a uniquely open source kind of media that isn't controlled by the powers that be. Unlike push technology (that pushed ads on your desktop) you can have customized webpages designed to keep you connected with the latest entries from your friends, in communities, websites (such as Slashdot), and some of the most interesting people all over the Internet.
So, yeah. Weblogs are important if you think that the ability to fundamentally change the nature of the Internet matters.
Curious? Interested? Want to help develop something great? Feel free to visit our site, or drop me an e-mail. I'd be glad to hear from you.
Hi everyone,
/.ers are already raising in previous posts.
I'm Stephen Deken, the creator of diary-x.com, one of the sites listed in the article. I'd like to address some of the more common concerns that many
The first thing people usually ask about online journals is "why would anyone want to keep an online journal?" The answer to that isn't simple, but it can be boiled down to the fact that writing about your problems helps you to overcome them. Many, many people (diary-x has around 4000 users, diaryland has about 20,000) find online journaling to be a very useful and theraputic service.
The next question is usually "okay, but why online? Why not in a paper journal?" Again, the answer is complicated but it comes down to the ability to easily manage the journal - you can't shuffle pages with physical journals as you can with online journals. Not only that, but you have the added psychological bonus of being contacted by other people who have gone through the same things you're going through in your own life, without those people knowing exactly who you are.
Another concern is about security. Journals on diary-x (as well as the other services) can be 'locked' if you're only wanting the service for the convienence, so only you, or the people you trust, can read your journal.
People here seem to be giving an awful lot of flack to the spelling and grammar of many online journalers. Bear in mind that free services such as diary-x attract a very young, mostly non-net savvy user base -- the age of the user is what dictates the 'feel' of the journal. Most young people (by young I mean younger than 20 or so) don't look beyond themselves, and so yes, their journals are somewhat tedious.
But as these same posters have pointed out, there are gems in the sand. To find the really great journals, you have to sift through the ones that don't live up to whatever your standards are - just like the rest of the internet.
For further perusal, you can check out diary-x.com, as well as my journal on it. Or, take a stroll through the member's lists if you want to try and find some of those gems.
Thanks,
--
Stephen Deken
awdang.com
diary-x.com
this is a sig.
A nice history lesson on weblogs.
If you're interested in starting your own, there's a number of web apps that might help you, including Pitas and Blogger.
I keep my web log as a way of recording what's going on with me for friends, parents, and myself. Sure, it's not particularly in-depth or personal, but looking back on it helps me place when events happened, and is a nice little digital record for me to look back on.
Personally, I would read an online journal if the person was interesting enough - like Linus or Alan Cox. Even then, I take what's in the so called journal with a grain of salt. If the journal were technically orientated I would be more inclined to read it - I mean if I want personal details I will watch some trashy TV show like Ricky Lake or Operah, and probably get more info than from an online journal.
While targeted, topical, and intellectual collaborative weblogs can serve as a useful tool in disseminating information and fostering a community, I'm of the opinion that most personal online journals are pointless and/or worthless.
Yes, the majority of my online friends have jumped on this latest fad (establishing online diaries and blogs), but when I peruse them I primarily see just overhyped cookie-cutter angst and cries for sympathy on the diary side, with meaningless mental tidbits coupled with a race to establish the most feel-the-love linkylinks on the blog side.
Thing is, I can't tell if the primary motivation for all these activities is more exhibitionism or narcissism. I have to agree with the above comment by ChuckFlynn when he says online journaling and blogging reinforce self-delusions of grandeur that your trivial day-to-day experiences are somehow relevant or helpful to the world; and the AC who pointed out they're usually 'self-centered unimaginative ramblings' with a limited and egotistical perspective.
Remember that it's still a bit of effort to start and maintain a journal - it's more work than just pissing and moaning with your buds over a beer at the local tavern. Almost everybody has issues, but most of us are able to find a friend, dump on them for 10-15 mins about what a total ***hole their boss was today, and get on with their lives. However, some people can't find a person to vent at, or find themselves unable to, or whatever. As a result, people won't start a journal unless they have a pressing need to vent about something.
You haven't seen an online journal of a "sane person" because sane people by and large do not feel a need to vent their sanity. People with issues do feel a need to vent.
If you're looking for some interesting reading, or maybe even a diary of your own, check out Diaryland. It is no surprise that you can have hours and hours of deep insight into the lives of tens, if not hundreds of people you will never want to meet. However, there are a few beacons out there. I ran into this one a while back. She's funny, interesting, and she has a consistent style. I ran into the site totally on accident, and it inspired me to start my own diary(My sig).
Go start one today. Maybe no one is reading. Who cares? Dead tree journals are all right, but if nothing else, you can atleast html format one of these babies. Spill your guts. Or better yet, lie! Have fun and good writing.
--Raymond Stray
- Why would you want every lamer in the world to have access to your innermost secrets? Why would you want to expose yourself to that sort of voyeurism? At least when you keep a deadtree journal, you know who has access to it (at least until you die). When it's online, even access logs aren't much help.
- You're opening youself up to cries of plagiarism, either by others or by you yourself (as you discover how others have plagiarized your work).
- You're leaving an enormous e-papertrail for police and criminals alike to hunt you down and cause you anguish.
- You're opening yourself up to pangs of self delusion and false pursuit of grandeur. Journals are an inherently narcissistic endeavor, labeling anyone who keeps one as a fool who cannot keep his mouth shut or who insists that others might find his experiences somehow relevant or helpful.
- Ultimately, journals are an ill-advised use of resources and bandwidth. How many more enlightened endeavors could we pursue with all the diskspace and bandwidth that is currently devoted to online journals? Sites like kuro5hin.org waste far more space on users' diaries then they'll ever spend on actual useful articles and discussions.
If it's worth doing, then it's worth doing right. If it's worth saying, then it's worth writing up using principles of correct grammar and elegant prose. Private journals are a haven for miscreants and illiterates in a world properly dominated by real journalists (such as our own Jon Katz). If you must insist on keeping one, then keep it offline where it belongs. Don't subject the rest of the world to your silly musings about anime or your latest unrequited teen crush.Read the rest of this comment...
-tokengeekgrrl
In case it's not unbeleivably obvious to everyone, Slashdot is a weblog (not to mention others like NetSlaves and so on). Yeah, it's not the rantings of an angst ridden 13 year old, but who said weblogs have to be personal? I started up my weblog to post up news and pictures for family members who couldn't come to my wedding earlier this year and because Blogger makes it very easy to do so. It quickly evolved past that. The response included old college friends turning up in the discussion forum and some good technical discussions with total strangers. I've kept a website for 5 years, and never had that kind of response. Now some friends from my writing group have approached me about setting up a literary zine online through Blogger. It seems clear to me that weblogs are one of the main ways that people are going to use the web to communicate. Blog on!
_____________
I'll bet / with my Net / I can get / those things yet.
_____________
I'll bet / with my Net / I can get / those things yet.
--Dr. Seuss
The couple of online diaries that I read aren't anything like that at all. Alan Cox's diary is mainly about the linux stuff that he's working on or some other project at home. His wife's diary can be down right hilarious at times (the recent mouse problem, why did Alan buy 5 alarm clocks off ebay, etc.). She sometimes has links to pages with pictures of the conferences that they attend.
the good ground has been paved over by suicidal maniacs
Does nobody have a sense of humour anymore? This is the second time in the past two days that I've been moderated down for disagreeing with the story in a humorous way.
I even tried to explain things to the crack-impaired moderators this time, just in case they didn't clue in to the fact that I was kidding. Sadly, they just don't care.
Most of the online journals I've seen tend to reflect this. Usually people tend to be griping about what's wrong in their lives, the same problems over and over.
Perhaps this is because the internet is an easy means to a constructive outlet, a way to deal with thier issues. Any way, I can't say I've seen one online journal of a person who can easily be regarded as sane. Anyone else notice this?
funny munging
I would like to have an online journal or a rants page, but I end up wasting too much time editing my webpage and reuploading it and stuff that I tend to ignore it and only update it every now and then. Is there and easy, updateable through browser cgi script or something that I could use? I need something that is fairly simple to setup and use (slashcode is out. :) Just a little CGI script or something that would allow me to update my page through IE or netscape without any real hassle. Any ideas?
The anti-salmon
1. Maybe they'll learn something. I manage an online journaling community and have met relative novice web users who have gotten journals... suddenly, they're all curious about basic html, design, writing, etc. Next thing I know, they start to have a site as good as mine... which leads me to think that they have entirely too much time on their hands. Soon enough, they become useful, confident members of our community and have some talents that are actually of value in this world.
2. They become a part of the user base. Like it or not, every successful website needs a user base. In LiveJournal's case, we're member supported, so more users = potential paying members. Gotta keep those servers humming.
3. Their posts are of interest to people other than yourself. Did it ever occur to you that someone might write a journal for a reason other than to entertain you? Maybe they do it for personal reasons, or maybe they do it as a way of sharing their lives with their friends. Either method is valid and is of interest to the right person.
4. Journals breed familiarity. When even marginal writers create a journal, it allows others a chance to know them, determine if they are of interest, and basically feel like there is a real person on the Internet somewhere connected to their posts. This is important, because it creates a stronger community. I think most people are kind of sick of the anonymous nature of so much of the Internet. Take Slashdot, for example. How many stupid posts would never be written if the author realized that their posts might actually be >>gasp! associated with how people perceive them. Everyone and their dog complains about how "the Government is going to search the web and find out all about me." Which begs the question: do you really think the Feds care about you? They can't even prevent spying in the highest levels of the FBI, where they can use routine polygraph tests! Rather than complain about injustices you can't prove, why not complain about the real injustices we all deal with daily, like having to read painfully bad posts? Know all the fine details of my life... fine. I have nothing to hide. Just don't expose me to stupidity.
I'm a contributor to a medieval enthusiast journal in the province of Quebec. It's a non-profit journal for historic and recreation information and activities.
We dont have a large audience, but we do manage to print and distribute 1000 copies of this journal, four times a year.
We always put extracts of past issues on the web. (Pages in french.)
After a brief survey of our readers, we came to the conclusion that the print edition would remain, and that only some extract would be posted on the web. It turns out that most of them prefer to have a hard copy to read just about anywhere.
They DO, however, want more info on the web, such as statistics of the issues, complete index etc.
Karma karma karma karma karmeleon: it comes and goes, it comes and goes.
Is MSNBC run by retards?
... is that rhetorical? ;)
heh
----- rL
Summary: This guy is a reporter for a newspaper that is about to be shut down after over 100 years of publishing, reporting from the inside on the mood of a paper that's about to go under. Suddenly, the community rises up and sues the paper to keep it publishing! They're forced to search for a buyer, and miraculously, even in this market a buyer is found! The paper is saved! And then the journalist finds out he's gonna be let go by the new buyers because of all the bad things he said about the paper in his journal...